Beijing Newspaper Apologizes On Criticizing Chen Guangcheng and Gary Locke
NTDTelevision
2012-05-10
Views 27
For more news and videos visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C
On Friday, several newspapers controlled by Beijing Party Secretary Lu Qi, such as Beijing Daily, Beijing Times and Beijing News, published editorials criticizing blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng and US Ambassador Gary Locke for attempting to help him.
Then at midnight, Beijing News published a strange apology on its Sina Weibo microblog account, which read, “In the still of the deep night, removing that mask of insincerity, we say to our true selves, ‘I am sorry.’ Goodnight.” These lines appeared above a photo of a smoking clown standing alone outside a circus tent.
The post remained online for 24 hours and was forwarded nearly 10,000 times before being removed. Many believed it was an apology for the Friday editorials, which had provoked very negative reactions from the public.
Chinese social scholar Zhang Jian says there may be a specific reason why the microblog post stayed up for a full 24 hours.
[Zhang Jian, Chinese Social Scholar]:
“All the signs show the CCP’s different factions are competing against each other over the Chen Guangcheng incident. Officials on the side of the Political and Judiciary Committee might want Chen to leave for America. Wen Jiabao might want Chen to stay in China to promote institutional reform. That microblog post stayed online for some time probably because the officials of the latter group were in charge.”
Arts critic Mark Feeney pointed out that the clown picture in the Sina post was a famous photo by photographer Bruce Davidson, appearing in his book entitled, “Circus”. Chinese netizens believed the photo of the sad-looking clown was being used as a metaphor.
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C
On Friday, several newspapers controlled by Beijing Party Secretary Lu Qi, such as Beijing Daily, Beijing Times and Beijing News, published editorials criticizing blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng and US Ambassador Gary Locke for attempting to help him.
Then at midnight, Beijing News published a strange apology on its Sina Weibo microblog account, which read, “In the still of the deep night, removing that mask of insincerity, we say to our true selves, ‘I am sorry.’ Goodnight.” These lines appeared above a photo of a smoking clown standing alone outside a circus tent.
The post remained online for 24 hours and was forwarded nearly 10,000 times before being removed. Many believed it was an apology for the Friday editorials, which had provoked very negative reactions from the public.
Chinese social scholar Zhang Jian says there may be a specific reason why the microblog post stayed up for a full 24 hours.
[Zhang Jian, Chinese Social Scholar]:
“All the signs show the CCP’s different factions are competing against each other over the Chen Guangcheng incident. Officials on the side of the Political and Judiciary Committee might want Chen to leave for America. Wen Jiabao might want Chen to stay in China to promote institutional reform. That microblog post stayed online for some time probably because the officials of the latter group were in charge.”
Arts critic Mark Feeney pointed out that the clown picture in the Sina post was a famous photo by photographer Bruce Davidson, appearing in his book entitled, “Circus”. Chinese netizens believed the photo of the sad-looking clown was being used as a metaphor.
Report form
RELATED VIDEOS
